Not all heroes wear capes, but sometimes true heroes go unseen.
The team at IMPACCT Academy is dedicated to guiding students with disabilities towards a bright future by offering a unique, supportive curriculum that helps them gain confidence and prepare for life after high school. Learn more by watching the short video below, and contact us for more information.
GSIL helps New Hampshire’s underserved students with disabilities transition from high school towards a more promising future. We can help your school build tailored solutions to meet the individual students’ needs, preferences and interests.
Both our Earn and Learn Opportunities and IMPACCT programs are comprehensive programs that cover the five pre-employment transition services.
- Job Exploration Counseling
- Work-Based Learning Experience
- Comprehensive Transition Program & Post- Secondary Education
- Workplace Readiness Training
- Instruction in Self- Advocacy
Earn and Learn Opportunities Program: Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
Granite State Independent Living, in partnership with VR New Hampshire and the Manchester School District, is dedicated to helping students with disabilities become a successful part of the local workforce as they navigate from high school to employment, post-secondary education, or training that leads toward a career.
The Earn and Learn Program leads a small group of students (maximum of 16) as they work through an academic curriculum presented as a simulated work environment. Students have the opportunity to earn academic credit through Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs), with soft skills and training braided throughout the program. Through this experiential approach the program helps students reengage with their education and understand the value it has for their career. This tool can help your school build a path to increased graduation and decreased dropout rates.
Success Stories
Alexia
Alexia attends Manchester West High School and joined the Earn and Learn program for the Fall of 2023. Alexia was interested in the program to help better her education and life skills. She recognized that for her to be successful she would benefit from the smaller working environment. Alexia fully embraced the Earn and Learn program, displaying a serious and eager attitude toward learning and personal growth. She consistently contributed positively to the E&L community. Even when facing challenges, Alexia communicated effectively and demonstrated a commitment to catching up on missed opportunities. Her dedication set her apart from her peers, paving the way for a successful transition back to school and beyond. “Alexia demonstrated loyalty to her learning, to her friendships, and to her future and that was a big part of her Earn and Learn success.”
Moving forward, Alexia aims to continue her education and pursue her passion for art, supported by GSIL as she navigates her next steps. We wish her the best in achieving her goals!
Eldred
Eldred was a hardworking participant in the Earn & Learn (E&L) Program who, along with just five other students, had perfect attendance! He was quiet but paid close attention to detail and consistently offered valuable insights in all of his assignments and projects. He also shared about the challenges he faced and how he overcame them and applied perseverance and adaptability to the program and at his worksite, Kerner’s Car Care.
While at Kerner’s, Eldred did a phenomenal job. Towards the end of the program, they even asked him to come in for a job interview and he was hired! Eldred said he was “very thankful for all that GSIL had taught him and he could apply at his job site”.
In the fall, Eldred returns to Manchester Memorial High School with all of his credits and in a much better position than prior to completing the E&L program. He has reviewed several options for his future, including Manchester Community College as well as the Army. We are so proud of Eldred and wish him the very best in all of his endeavors!
IMPACCT: Inspiring the Mastery of Post-secondary Achievement in College, Careers & Training
This pre-employment transition service is similar to our Manchester, NH-based option, Earn & Learn Opportunities Program (above), IMPACCT’s experiential approach helps students reengage with their education and understand the value it has for their career. This tool can help your school build a path to increased graduation and decreased dropout rates. We can also help you create a non-traditional group program through our IMPACCT Program.
IMPACCT is a partnership of Vocational Rehabilitation New Hampshire or VRNH, Granite State Independent Living (GSIL), and high schools throughout New Hampshire. The program is dedicated to helping underserved students and students with IEPs/504 Plans become part of the local workforce as they navigate from high school to employment, post-secondary education, or training that leads towards a career.
Success Stories
Giada
Student’s Academy Experience: Giada was a leader in the IMPACCT Academy. She was an active participant in all group work. Academically, she challenged herself and advocated for the best ways that she could learn. This involved choosing to complete coursework on paper rather than on the computer. Whenever things got tough, Giada advocated for herself, set goals, and achieved what she needed.
Giada began her work experience with a local construction company and challenged herself to make phone calls to price items. Unfortunately, that employment opportunity ended when the job schedule changed and could no longer support the seacoast area. After being given a choice of alternatives, Giada chose our newest partner: Hickory Nut Farm. She chose to take her existing experience with animals and work at a small goat farm in Lee, NH known for its goat milk fudge and cheese. Giada was a patient worker and according to Donna-lee, owner, had a way with the animals that came from extreme patience. Whether she was bottle-feeding baby goats, putting out countless wheelbarrows of hay, or pressurizing cheese, Giada became an expert in what she was doing. At the end of her internship, the staff entrusted Giada to milk the goats independently. She learned to problem solve and communicate clearly. The farm was so impressed that they offered for Giada to stay on as a hired hand for the remainder of the summer.
Student’s Goals/Next Steps:
Giada earned full credit for her IMPACCT experience this summer. She will return to Epping High School to finish out her remaining two years of school. She knows that she wants to pursue a job in the construction, carpentry, or welding fields. Her experience at IMPACCT exposed her to knowledge about Construction Days in September, welding programs at Great Bay Community College, and various apprenticeship opportunities in her field. Giada states that she now is equipped to make a plan for her future. We wish her the very best.
Brian
Brian’s Background: Brian Hennessey completed Manchester IMPACCT in the Fall of 2023. He attends Salem High School and is anticipated to graduate in June of 2024. Outside of school, Brian enjoys videos games and playing with his pet cat. Brian is very passionate about cars and animals.
Brian’s IMPACCT Experience: Brian is a kind, honest student and brought ample positivity to the IMPACCT classroom. Brian struggled with confidence, time management and advocating for himself, but made considerable progress in these areas during his time at IMPACCT. Brian completed his work experience at Auto Envy Detailing in Hudson, NH. Brian was consistently on time and attentive to his worksite supervisors. He was able to pick up tasks quickly and could easily handle hard tasks after just one demonstration from his supervisors. Brian was so successful in his worksite that his supervisors offered to have him work for them after graduating! It was evident through his demeanor that Brian was confident in himself and his ability to work a job and be independent in his work.
Brian’s Next Steps and Goals: Brian earned full credit for his time at IMPACCT and completed all of his assignments. Brian is eager to finish high school and graduate, so that he can go on to potentially work with animals. Brian’s main focus is transitioning from high school to a Brian at his worksite, Auto Envy Detailing career, and it is visible that he has grown through the IMPACCT program. We can’t wait to see where he goes!
Isabel
Isabel Celeste definitely had a successful journey in the IMPACCT program. Though Iz struggled in the beginning with attendance due to issues outside of their control, Iz was able to complete all of their missing assignments and went on to do incredible for the remainder of the program. Iz was always quick to offer their opinion or input during presentations and did particularly well during the self-advocacy lessons, which focused on student’s participation in their IEP and 504 meetings. During these presentations, Iz was able to provide examples of how they have participated in their own special education process. Iz completed all of the required work to receive both ELO credits, in Career Explorations and English. Iz always made sure to complete each assignment thoroughly and offered great insight much of the time. Iz wants to work with children in the future, either as a child therapist or teacher. Their worksite, The Growing Years, allowed Iz to see what the inner workings of childcare entails. Iz’s supervisor, Kitty, had nothing but good things to say about Iz’s experience there. She said Iz did a great job with the kids and that Iz fit right in with staff at the daycare. This experience meant a lot to Iz as they plan on working with children in the future.
Overall, Iz did an amazing job with all aspects of the IMPACCT program, and we wish them well in their future endeavors.